Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellinzona and Meilen

For one person, living costs are similar in Bellinzona and in Meilen: $3,509 and $3,372 a month, rent and utilities included.

171

Cost of Living Index in Bellinzona
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Bellinzona Living Index
163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
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Meilen Living Index

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Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,509

/mo nomad

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bellinzona and in Meilen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bellinzona and in Meilen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,509 per month in Bellinzona vs $3,372 in Meilen, rent included.

Bellinzona $3,509
Meilen $3,372

A couple spends around $5,423 per month in Bellinzona vs $5,942 in Meilen, rent included.

Bellinzona $5,423
Meilen $5,942

A family of three spends $7,337 per month in Bellinzona vs $8,512 in Meilen, rent included.

Bellinzona $7,337
Meilen $8,512

Bellinzona costs about 4% more than Meilen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bellinzona and Meilen sit above the global median – Bellinzona by 160%, Meilen by 150%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$34.40 CHF 28.33

$32.47 CHF 26.74

5.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$120 CHF 98.7

$122 CHF 101

-2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.66 CHF 14.54

$16.33 CHF 13.45

8.14%

Cappuccino

$4.85 CHF 4.00

$6.31 CHF 5.19

-23.14%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 CHF 4.57

$5.68 CHF 4.67

-2.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 CHF 3.64

$5.01 CHF 4.13

-11.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.51 CHF 7.83

$8.46 CHF 6.97

12.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 CHF 5.50

$8.29 CHF 6.83

-19.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.83

$2.21 CHF 1.82

0.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 CHF 3.44

$3.27 CHF 2.69

27.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.11 CHF 3.38

$3.78 CHF 3.11

8.73%

Eggs

$7.89 CHF 6.50

$7.49 CHF 6.17

5.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$27.08 CHF 22.30

$26.56 CHF 21.87

1.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$30.85 CHF 25.41

$25.69 CHF 21.16

20.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.72 CHF 34.36

$40.25 CHF 33.15

3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.64 CHF 3.00

$3.42 CHF 2.82

6.43%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 CHF 1.66

$2.03 CHF 1.67

-0.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 CHF 2.23

$2.67 CHF 2.20

1.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.45 CHF 5.31

$4.58 CHF 3.77

40.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.62

$1.96 CHF 1.61

0.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-3.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.45 CHF 2.02

$2.32 CHF 1.91

5.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 CHF 1.06

$1.25 CHF 1.03

2.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.61 CHF 8.74

$11.03 CHF 9.09

-3.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.75 CHF 14.62

$13.25 CHF 10.91

33.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.87 CHF 2.36

$2.26 CHF 1.86

26.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 CHF 3.22

$3.23 CHF 2.66

21.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-39.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$121 CHF 99.7

$96.8 CHF 79.7

24.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 CHF 5.97

$7.55 CHF 6.21

-4.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.67 CHF 4.67

$4.50 CHF 3.71

26.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.42 CHF 30.00

$88.0 CHF 72.5

-58.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$2.26 CHF 1.86

1.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.1K CHF 28.9K

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

-9.12%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-0.71%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$300 CHF 247

$235 CHF 194

27.55%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$35.26 CHF 29.04

$36.06 CHF 29.70

-2.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$62.5 CHF 51.4

$65.3 CHF 53.8

-4.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$143 CHF 117

$88.1 CHF 72.6

61.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$54.2 CHF 44.66

$44.50 CHF 36.65

21.87%

Cinema Ticket

$23.18 CHF 19.09

$21.90 CHF 18.04

5.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$3,198 CHF 2,634

$2,816 CHF 2,319

13.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

-17.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$200 CHF 165

$137 CHF 113

45.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.63 CHF 40.05

$59.2 CHF 48.77

-17.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$164 CHF 135

$144 CHF 118

14.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 CHF 136

$174 CHF 143

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,569 CHF 1,292

$1,690 CHF 1,392

-7.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,368 CHF 1,127

$1,471 CHF 1,211

-6.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 CHF 2,047

$2,831 CHF 2,332

-12.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,459 CHF 2,025

$4,065 CHF 3,348

-39.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K CHF 10.9K

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

-16.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CHF 8,443

$11.9K CHF 9,812

-13.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,494 CHF 5,349

$8,259 CHF 6,802

-21.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.23

1.72

29.65%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bellinzona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Meilen: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bellinzona

$1.4K 39%

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6% 7.5% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bellinzona

$639 18.2%

Meilen

$570 16.9% 10.7% $69

Eating Out

Bellinzona

$487 13.9%

Meilen

$486 14.4% 0.2% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellinzona

$398 11.3%

Meilen

$337 10% 15.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Bellinzona

$260 7.4%

Meilen

$231 6.9% 11.1% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Bellinzona

$189 5.4%

Meilen

$132 3.9% 30.2% $57

Getting Around

Bellinzona

$168 4.8%

Meilen

$145 4.3% 13.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,569 in Bellinzona versus $1,690 in Meilen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Meilen, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $120 in Bellinzona versus $122 in Meilen. Groceries tell a different story – $639 in Bellinzona vs $570 in Meilen – so Meilen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Bellinzona

🇨🇭 Meilen

🕒 Local time

08:11 8:11 AM

Same time as Bellinzona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

43,785

13,515

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Bellinzona Meilen 120 km

From you

Bellinzona
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bellinzona vs Meilen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,509 in Bellinzona, $3,372 in Meilen – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,264 per month in Bellinzona and $5,059 in Meilen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Meilen, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,509 in Bellinzona and $3,372 in Meilen. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Meilen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,509 in Bellinzona and $3,372 in Meilen. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Meilen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Meilen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bellinzona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.